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Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Plan Before you Buy

October 19, 2013 by Katie Haller

Like I have said before, it is not always easy to go shopping on a small budget. It takes a lot of discipline. One thing that I find helpful, is to plan ahead before I buy. I like to do my research first and find items that I will actually get good use out of. I try to keep an ongoing list of items that I want to buy eventually. Sometimes my list changes, but I usually keep it on hand with me at all times. This way I know what I’m looking for. I try not to buy things I don’t need. Having a list helps me avoid buyers’ remorse.

I start my research by looking at Pinterest. Pinterest is a great way to keep up with the latest fashion trends. I pin looks that I think are cute and I would actually wear, but a lot of times the clothes I pin are too expensive for my budget. What I like to do is keep an eye out for cheaper options. I usually look around on the internet first to price things out. I don’t usually buy online, because I prefer to see it in person. I like to try things on and touch it before I buy it, but that’s just me. After I have an idea of how much I want to pay for something, then I can look in the stores. Sometimes I can find something right away, other times it takes me months. It took me all summer to finally find a maxi skirt that I liked.
Here is an example of how I used a Pinterest idea and found an affordable option…

I am obsessed with Tory Burch flats. They’re so cute for everyday shoes. Well, I can’t spend $200 on a pair of flats. So, I had to keep my eyes open for something similar, that was also affordable. I got lucky. At DSW, I found a pair of Audrey Brooke flats. They look very similar to the Tory Burch flats I wanted. They were originally sold for $100 at the department store, but at DSW they were marked at $59.95. Well, I found them on the clearance rack for 40% off. I also used a coupon and ended up paying $32.83 with tax. I wear them all the time and love them! No buyers remorse here.


Filed in: deals, Shopping • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

My Closet~ What I Wore Wednesday

October 16, 2013 by Katie Haller

I thought it would be fun to start a “what I wore” weekly blog post. Wednesday, as we all know, in the middle of the week. It’s the day that makes us believe the weekend is right around the corner. You need to keep the week going strong and what better way to do that than putting a cute outfit together. 
I think that looking good and feeling good go hand and hand. I’ve had those mornings, like everyone else, where I just don’t care. I just want to make it through the day, so I throw my barely dry hair up in a ponytail, put on whatever I pull from my drawer and do the bare minimum makeup. In the past, when I have done this my day ends up going the same way it started. I end up not caring and not doing the best job I can do at work. I spend 40+ hours a week at my job. That’s a lot of time and I want to feel good when I’m there. I want to feel confident and professional. Honestly, I think the way you present yourself reflects on the kind of person you are. Especially in the workplace, no matter where you work. Would you not care about your appearance when you go to a job interview? 

 Trust me, I don’t have a very glamorous job. I am an infant teacher at a child care center, so finding something to wear to work involves, finding something that’s appropriate, cute, comfortable and something I don’t mind getting the occasional spit upon. That’s not going to stop me from putting together something cute.

So here is my Wednesday outfit. The dress code at my work is no jeans except for Fridays.
 
Grey khaki- Old Navy
Black long sleeve shirt- Old Navy
Pink and grey infinity scarf- Five Below
 Black flats- Target 
  It’s casual, comfortable and of course affordable. I make sure to designated my work clothes as “work only” clothes. This means I can wear them around babies, without being afraid to get paint, baby food or anything else that might come out of my little friends. 
I hope to keep up with this post and continue to find cute work outfits to share.
Happy Wednesday! Friday is almost here!

Filed in: Daily Outfits, fashion, outfits, what i wore wednesday, wiw • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Stretching your dollar$$

September 8, 2013 by Katie Haller

I have to admit that I’ve been on a bit of a shopping kick lately. I always get like this at the beginning of a new season. The problem for me, as always, is that I don’t have very much money to be spending on new clothes. I have to make do with the small amount of money I can spend. This means I can’t just walk into a store and buy whatever I want. I have to be smart about it to stretch my money or else I’m going to have an empty closet.

Right now, my husband and I have absolutely no dept. We don’t have a car payment, a mortgage, student loans or any credit cards with balances on them. We still use credit cards and put everything we spend on them. This is a great way of tracking how much we spend each month, plus we get cashback rewards, which who doesn’t love getting free money every few months? We have a $1,500 budget each month for both of us. That includes our phone bills, energy bill, cable/internet bill, grocery’s, gas and anything else we spend. For two people this is not a lot of money. This is why I try to do my best to spend as little money as I can on the extras.
How do I still go shopping on this low of a budget? Well here are some tips on how to still be able to shop and buy new clothes, but spend as little as possible…
1.)   Always check out the clearance racks! This is my favorite place in any store. I have found some of the best deals here. I feel like sometimes people have such a negative view of clearance clothes. I know they’re last season’s clothes, they’re the ugly colors no one wants or worse they have nothing cute in your size. Yes, all these things can be true, but it’s just like the thrift store thing, you have to be selective. Keep your eyes open and look through every item. Usually the end of the season is a great time to look for clearance clothes. There is a great selection and the deals get better and better the closer you get to the new season!
2.) Use coupons and store loyalty programs! I love getting those e-mails with coupons in them! I get e-mails from all kinds of stores. 20% off here, $5 off there. They really add up and help you save. Most of the time you can use those coupons on top of clearance and sale items.
3.) Look for Apps on your smartphone! I use my iPhone for everything. There are so many great store apps that offer rewards or coupons. One app that I am a huge fan of is Old Navy’s Snap App. It’s so easy to use. All you do is take a picture of the Old Navy store logo and you have a chance to get a coupon to save anywhere between $5 to $15. My favorite is the Snap Five, because it gives you $5 off anything in the store, as long as it is at least $5. 
 4.) Make it into a game! For me, it’s fun to find the deals. Set a budget before you go shopping and stick to it! Sometimes you will lose at this game and sometimes you will win. Have fun with it!

Here is my latest outfit. All these items came from clearance racks and I used coupons.
(Oh yes, don’t judge the white pants after Labor Day. I did my research and most people say white pants are fine to wear all the way through the winter.)
Shirt- Target-$5.98
Pants- Target-$6.88
Shoes- DSW-$32.83
Necklace-$4.20
Total price of outfit– 49.88

Honestly my best advice to stretch your dollar is to never pay full price! I challenge everyone to try to stretch their money! You will feel great knowing how much you saved!  

Filed in: fashion, saving money, Shopping • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Shopping Finds~ Finding a Great Deal!

September 2, 2013 by Katie Haller

In my last post about thrift stores, I mentioned that your not always going to have luck. Well, today I went for the big Labor Day half off sale at the Salvation Army. I spent about an hour looking around the store. I picked out about 10 items and I ended up walking out empty-handed. It’s hard when you really don’t have the extra money to spend, to buy something you don’t love. I mean, I always look for deals when I shop, but sometimes I have to ask myself “do I really need this?” So, I was a little disappointed, but it’s okay. You never know when you will find something that’s a steal. 

For example, this dress below. I found this randomly at Target last weekend. My husband and I had to stop at Target for a couple of household items. I never make it through Target without taking a quick peek at all the clearance items. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for stripes lately, so this blue and white striped dress caught my eye. I looked it over and it was in my size. Best of all the price tag read $2.06. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to buy it. I mean, I spend more than that on a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I wore the dress with some brown wedges and a white sweater. I just love it when I find a great deal!

Filed in: deals, Shopping • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Thrift Stores

September 1, 2013 by Katie Haller

I used to be afraid of the thrift store. There was nothing about it that appealed to me. They always smelled like an old ladies’ basement and had knick-knacks from that basement all over. I would look through the racks and find elastic waistline jeans and shirts with birdhouses all over them. I also never liked the idea of wearing someone’s old unwanted clothes.
 

Read more

Filed in: Thrifty Tips • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

My first post… Living life on a budget

August 31, 2013 by Katie Haller

My inspiration for this blog comes from my love of fashion and my life of living on a budget. I live on a budget in every aspect of my life and I want to share how I have found ways to live a decent life with spending little money. From clothes shopping to grocery shopping to entertainment to vacations, I’ve found ways to save money.

Read more

Filed in: Living Life • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

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Thrifty Wife Happy Life Profile picture

Hi I'm Katie! Welcome to my blog! I am on a mission to help women build a wardrobe that they love without spending a lot of money doing it. I believe that everyone has the right to feel good in their outfit, no matter what your budget is! I am excited to have you here!
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thriftywifehappylife

Helping women love what they wear on a budget!
Thrifted fashion + Affordable retailers
👨‍✈️ Wife • Mommy
📍Michigan
💌 thriftywifehappylife@gmail.com

Katie || Affordable Fashion
For the last year, I have been on the hunt for com For the last year, I have been on the hunt for comfortable and affordable bras. I've bought a lot of bras I love and some that I wasn't too crazy about, but I've come to the conclusion that you don't need to splurge too much on a good bra. 

Check out my blog post today on thriftywifehappylife.com to read what my hits and misses of affordable bras are!! [link in bio]

#comfortablebra #affordablebra #womenundergarments #momstyle #momstyleblogger #themominfluencers #affordablefashion #budgetfriendlyfashion #michiganblogger #michiganmom #momootd #newblogpost #newontheblog
Here are some of the new items that I have added t Here are some of the new items that I have added to my wardrobe this spring that I have been loving! ⬇️

Target black midi dress- https://liketk.it/3ELfo
Target black Sandals- https://liketk.it/3ELfo
Target animal print sneakers- https://liketk.it/3ELcp
Amazon gingham dress- https://liketk.it/3ELba
H&M white blazer- https://liketk.it/3ELbQ
J.Crew Factory striped tank top- https://liketk.it/3ELbQ
Amazon floral dress- https://liketk.it/3EL9Y
Amazon belt- https://liketk.it/3EL9Y

Follow my shop @thriftywifehappylife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#ltkblogger #shoppingonabudget #ltkstyletip #ltkunder50 #affordablefashion #whatibought #targetstyle #amazonshopping #amazonstyle #affordablestyle #midwestblogger #michiganblogger
What I wore this week as a SAHM... I had planned What I wore this week as a SAHM...

I had planned to document all my outfits this week, but I haven't been feeling that great the last couple days, so my outfits did suffer as the week went on! He's what I wore Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday! 

Follow my shop @thriftywifehappylife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
🛍➡️ https://liketk.it/3Ebzv

#wiw #sahmstyle #momootd #ootdfashion #everydays #everydayoutfit #realoutfitgram #realmom #michiganmom #michiganblogger #midweststyle #momiform #momfashion
I'm not sure if my content is getting better or th I'm not sure if my content is getting better or the Instagram algorithm is finally liking me, but I cannot believe the amount of growth I've had in the last couple months here on Instagram! Almost half of you are new!! 🥰 I'm not very good at sharing about me posts because I never know what to say, so drop me a question in the comments about what you want to know! 

As for the outfit, this cute floral dress is from Amazon! I'm loving the orange this season! I have a discount code for you to use until 4.26.22! Get 20% off with code: 2036KGEQ 

Follow my shop @thriftywifehappylife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
🛍➡️ https://liketk.it/3DsUs

#gifted #floraldress #affordablefashion #springstyle #ltkmothersday #ltkstyletip #ltkunder50 #amazonfinds #amazondress #amazonfashion #easystyle #momstyleblogger
Happy Easter 🐣 (a day late). We celebrated our Happy Easter 🐣 (a day late). We celebrated our first holiday at our new house! I hope everyone had a great day!

I was happy that I got to wear my new chambray dress from @loftoutlet however the weather didn't let me wear it the way I wanted.  Michigan Easter's are always chilly! 

Similar dresses linked ➡️ https://liketk.it/3D6YT

Follow my shop @thriftywifehappylife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#easteroutfit #easterstyle #springstyle #chambraydress #sundaystyle #springdress #affordablefashion #budgetfriendlyfashion #affordablestyle #michiganblogger
I am loving this orange gingham dress! Gingham is I am loving this orange gingham dress! Gingham is an easy spring trend that you can bring into your wardrobe. I have a couple tops with blue gingham, but this orange print is so fun! 🍊

Use this 20% off discount code up until 4/19/22: 202NPX3P 

Follow my shop @thriftywifehappylife on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
🛍➡️ https://liketk.it/3COHB

#ltkunder50 #ltkstyletip #ltkmothersday #amazonfinds #affordabledresses #amazonfashion #affordablefashion #budgetfriendlyfashion #springstyle #cutedresses #gingham #michiganblogger #easystyle
I wasn't sure what to post today. I was debating b I wasn't sure what to post today. I was debating between a picture or a reel, but then I found this picture on my camera roll and I couldn't resist. My little photo bomber is always trying to make her way into my photos. 😜 

This is just a friendly reminder that you never know what or who is behind the Instagram feed. 

#mommoments #lifewithatoddler #momstyleblogger #momsofinstagram #momblogger #momootd #michiganblogger #michiganmom #sahmstyle #sahmlife #midwestmom #behindthescenes #behindthefeed #reallife
We are having a snuggle kind of day. Seasonal alle We are having a snuggle kind of day. Seasonal allergies are hitting both my littles. They aren't sick enough to be sick, but feel yucky enough to be whiny and clingy. Hopefully it will pass soon. For now, my lap is the most popular seat in the house. 

#momlife #sahmlife #sahmproblems #michiganblogger #bloggerstyle #momstyleblogger #lifewithlittles #realmotherhood #motherhoodunplugged #momofboth #momootd #momiform #michiganmoms
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